Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 12.djvu/800

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MAINE.
710
MAINE.

1900 1890



Dairy cows 173,592  157,278 
Other cattle 165,255  141,832 
Horses 106,299  109,156 
Mules and asses  401  278 
Sheep  252,213   370,484 
Swine 79,018  91,297 

Manufactures. Manufacturing is of much importance, 74,800 wage-earners, or 10.8 per cent. of the population, being engaged in this line in 1900. The percentage of the population thus occupied has increased continuously in the last half century. It was only 4.8 in 1850. The total value of the product in 1900 was $127,361,000. The development of the manufacturing industry is due to the extensive water power afforded by the numerous rivers of the State and also to the excellent commercial advantages offered by the harbors, and, in later years, by the railways. The factories are located, almost without exception, along the rivers or on the coast, and most of them are run by water power. The manufacture of textiles—cotton and woolen goods—leads in importance. Both cotton and woolen mills were in operation during the early years of the nineteenth century. The cotton mills of to-day are all west of the Kennebec River. Lewiston is the chief centre. The woolen mills are more widely distributed, but also derive their power from the streams. The manufactures of cotton show a slight decrease in value during the decade 1890-1900. This is probably due in part to the increasing competition of the Southern States.

Shipbuilding formerly depended upon the forests for its supplies, but with the increased use of steel in vessel construction, the shipbuilding industry of Maine has declined. The industry is one of the oldest in the State, a vessel having been built as early as 1608. For a long time Maine held first rank in the industry, and indeed constructed more than half of all the sea-going vessels of the nation. At Bath, the principal shipbuilding centre, the construction of steel vessels has attained considerable importance. The leather industry also dates from an early period. It was one of the State's leading industries between the years 1861 and 1870. The bark of the hemlock was used in tanning, and the industry is declining as the supply of this bark becomes scarcer. Other noteworthy industries are represented by the foundries and machine shops and printing and publishing houses. The following table gives a comparison of the chief industries for the years indicated:


INDUSTRIES  Year  Number of
 establishments 
 Wage-earners— 
average
number
Value of products,
including custom
 work and repairing 





Total for selected industries for State 
 1900  1,689  43,730  $73,368,312 
1890 1,580  39,651  54,631,124 








 
Increase 1890 to 1900 ...... 109  4,079  $18,737,188 
Per cent. of increase ...... 6.9  10.3  34.3 
 
Per cent. of total of all industries in State
1900 25.2  58.5  57.6 
1890 31.5  56.3  57.1 
 
Cotton goods
1900 15  13,723  $14,631,086 
1890 23  13,912  15,316,909 
Fish, canning and preserving
1900 117  5,567  4,779,733 
1890 35  2,342  1,660,881 
Flouring and grist-mill products
1900 227  192  3,399,832 
1890 210  262  3,254,690 
Foundry and machine-shop products
1900 112  2,143  3,298,706 
1890 82  1,768  2,628,572 
Leather, tanned, curried, and finished
1900 31  587  2,451,713 
1890 51  852  3,363,672 
Lumber and timber products
1900 838  6,834  13,489,401 
1890 894  11,540  11,849,654 
Paper and wood pulp
1900 35  4,851  13,223,275 
1890 17  1,509  3,281,051 
Printing and publishing, newspapers and periodicals 
1900 120  1,309  2,190,017 
1890 105  949  1,719,477 
Ship and boat building, wooden
1900 115  1,369  2,491,765 
1890 85  1,450  2,818,565 
Wool manufactures
1900 79  7,155  13,412,784 
1890 78  5,067  8,737,653 
 

Transportation and Commerce. Maine is the only one of tlie New England States in which there was a large railroad construction in the last decade of the nineteenth century. This mileage increased from 1377 miles in 1800 to 1928 in 1900. Prior to this decade railway construction had been confined mainly to the central and southwestern parts of the State. During that decade the Bangor and Aroostook line was built into the northeast counties, and its influenoe was largely responsilile for the rapid development of the forest and farming industries which has taken place in that section. The Canadian Pacific crosses the State from east to west. The construction of electric railways, including interurban lines, is increasing rapidly. The electric railway mileage in 1901 aggregated 280 miles. Among the many fine harbors, that of Portland (Casco Bay), especially, is easy of access, deep, large, and well protected, and is often unobstructed by ice when harbors farther west and south are frozen over. Lines of steamers ply regularly between the largest cities of the State and Boston; also between Portland and New York, Saint John, N. B., and Halifax.

For the year ending June 30, 1901, the exports from the Portland and Falmouth customs district amounted to $12,403,958 and the imports to $633,114. The chief imports are coal, fish, sugar, iron, molasses, and wool; the chief exports are